


Possession

by Lopaka_Tanu



Category: Star Trek (2009)
Genre: M/M, Mirror Universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-09-13
Updated: 2010-09-13
Packaged: 2017-10-11 19:31:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/116118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lopaka_Tanu/pseuds/Lopaka_Tanu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A sudden rift in space offers one Jim Kirk the chance to reclaim what was taken from him.  Spock will learn to accept his new life, whether he wants to or not.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Possession

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Anna - Winner of Help_Chile Auction](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Anna+-+Winner+of+Help_Chile+Auction).



> Warnings: Language, Violence, Character Death, Sexual Activity, Dub-Con, Bondage, Dominance/Submission, Kidnapping, Angst, Stockholm Syndrome, Drug Use.  
> Author's Note: Lyrics and title from "Possession" by Sarah McLachlan

Prologue. The Night Is My Companion.

 

"Captain's personal log." Pulling the shaft of his cigarette free from the stack on the table, Kirk examined it in the candle light. The blue-green color indicated its galactic origins. As in all things Orion, it was seductive in its destructive nature. "We are five days out from Minos Korva and still without a first officer."

The console beeped to indicate an incoming message.

Ignoring it, Kirk flicked the end of his cylinder over one of the meditation candles wick. "There are still a lot of unanswered questions as to what happened. No one's quite sure what went down." He snorted. "More like they don't care to admit to what they know." Putting the cigarette to his lips, he took a long drag from it. The drug filled smoke quickly filled his lungs.

He let if flow through him, enjoying the burn as it caused his lungs to contract. With a quick exhale, he released the green smoke. "The aftermath has left a lot of things in the air, though. One of the important being who will replace the late Mr. Sulu at the helm?" His voice was husky from the strain of smoking.

Even as he sat back to relax, he could feel the powerful narcotic working its way through his system. There was a reason Morpheum was outlawed by most 'civilized' worlds. Taking another hit from the drug, he released this lung full more quickly.

"I've spent the past five days trying to figure out what the hell happened. All I can come up with is that Spock wasn't paying attention when he should have. That might have been my fault, who knows." Twisting his chair, he reached out to his desk. He stamped the cigarette out quickly on an incense pot.

The console beeped a second time.

Smoke rose up from the smothered material. "Lieutenant Chekov is taking us back to Vulcan for the burial ceremony. Something about his family requesting the body back." Waving it off, Kirk rolled his eyes to the top of the cabin. "Who cares, it's all bullshit anyways."

With a smack of his fingers on the controls, he turned off the computer.

~~~~~~~~~

It wasn't a complete waste of time. Staring at his reflection, Jim studied the gold filigree of his uniform. All the symbols of his rank he had once so lovingly adorned himself in were there. He had taken pride in having earned each and every one.

None of them meant a damned thing in the end.

He fingered the edge of a medal over his right breast of his uniform. Captain Pike had worn it with distinction until Jim had taken it from him. At the time, it had seemed like the right thing to do. After all, a dead man had no use for it.

Jim wondered if they would take it from him one day. Probably, and real soon too.

Hell, he wasn't even in charge of the damned ship. Not that he cared. They could all fly straight to hell, warp engines to the max.

"Are you going to stand there feeling sorry for yourself all day?" Standing in the doorway to the bathroom, Bones watched Jim with obvious contempt. The silver flask in his hand caught the light from the candles. "Or do you plan on actually doing something today, Jim?"

Clenching his jaw, Jim refused to turn and acknowledge him. "Would cutting off your lips and sewing your mouth shut be considered doing something?" It wasn't the bastard's fault he had to wear all this gaudy crap. That didn't mean he couldn't resent him anyways.

Seeming to sense this, Bones snorted and looked away. He scanned the jumbled mess that once comprised the furnishings. "I take it back, you have been busy this past week."

"I hated the way it looked." Pushing the locks of his hair behind one ear, Jim cocked his head to the side. He checked the appearance in the mirror to see if it worked. "What do you think, behind the ears or hanging loose?"

Bones glanced back to his friend. What he saw made him frown. "You cut it."

"I took a foot off." Jim ran his fingers through the blond length to where it curled just under his jaw. "It seemed appropriate." Smiling at his appearance, he pushed his bottom lip out.

"You're stoned." The words were said matter of fact. Bones had known the other man long enough to not need confirmation.

"Just a little." Holding up two fingers in front of the mirror, Jim curled the corner of his mouth. Seeing the other's scowl, he sighed. "Come on, Bones, loosen up a bit, it's just a funeral." Checking his hair again, he turned his head from side to side. "Now, tell me the truth. Up or down?"

Bones stared at him for a long time not saying a word. Twisting open the cap of his flask, he tipped it back with a sigh.

Sighing to himself, Jim released his hair. It looked better that way. Letting his arms hang loose at his sides, he decided to quit delaying. The time was now. Everyone was waiting for him.

Moving up to stand beside Jim at the mirror, Bones took in their twin reflections. "We best go. Chekov's been eyeing your quarters, he's already gotta taste for the chair."

Shoulders relaxed, Jim half-heartedly shrugged. "Let him have it if he can take it." His smile was bitter. "It's not like I want it any more."

"You can't talk like that, Jim." Alarmed, Bones looked over at his friend. "They'll replace you on principle alone."

Meeting the concerned gaze, Jim shrugged. "May be it's time." Cocking an eyebrow, he returned to checking out his uniform in the mirror. He raised a mischievous smile to meet Bones' reflected frown. "I'm kidding." The emotions slowly leeched from his features until he was left with a blank stare once more.

~~~~~~~~

Jim had never wanted to wipe at sweat on his brow so much in his life. Sure, Vulcan was a desert planet, but did they not have a coolant system for their fucking temples? May be they didn't believe in modern technology in such places. They wouldn't be the first race. Not that he could ask them at a funeral.

Keeping his face carefully schooled was easier than it should have been. Spock had never ascribed to the rigid emotional control required in Vulcan ceremony. He would have derided Jim for doing so now. Then it was probably best that Spock was currently sitting in an urn on the altar.

Snorting, Jim barely managed to keep from smirking.

A few heads turned his way, but they were indistinguishable from under their robes. They were circled around the altar. All of them were dressed in grey for mourning.

Jim wanted to ask if they wore anything that wasn't depressing. A vibrant red or a garish blue-green wouldn't go remiss. Hell, the entire ceremony could have used a few people actually, you know, mourning the dead prick.

The old woman, who was chanting in Vulcan as she held an incense burner over the urn, glared at him.

This time Jim didn't moderate his reaction. Rolling his eyes, he stretched his arms over his head. Inside, he had the feeling Spock would have been proud. A small jab to his ribs had him glaring at the only other Human at the ceremony.

Bones glared at his friend, his lips forming a thin line of disapproval.

That did it. Exhaling through his nose, Jim stepped forward. The old woman went quiet as he stopped at the altar. Reaching out, he picked up the funeral urn. It's stone was cool to the touch despite the intense heat of the chamber. He turned it a couple times, aware of the silence around him.

"What the hell are you doing?" Bones sounded like he was about to have a conniption fit.

Ordinarily, Jim would have paid anything to have seen it. Today, however, he just didn't give a fuck.

Tucking the urn under his arm, he gave the Priestess a half-assed salute. Then, he turned around and marched out the way he had come. The circle parted for him without any prompting. They were probably too horrified to even want the stigma of having touched him, he figured.

Didn't matter, he had come like he was supposed to. There hadn't been anything in Admiral Hoshi's rules about what he was supposed to do after that.

___________________________  
Part 1. And Solitude My Guide.

 

"Captain, the Klingon ship is moving off." Watching the readouts from his console, Chekov frowned at them. "They are preparing to jump to warp."

"Well, we can't let them do that, now can we?" Shifting in his chair, Jim leaned over the right arm rest. Strands of his long hair fell over his eyes. Resting his chin on a fist, he stared at the screen with a bored expression.

"No, sir." Chekov raised his gaze to the screen with a grin. His fingers instinctively flew to the weapons control. "Firing phasers."

"No, I think not." Kirk yawned. "Use torpedos, full volley." Today had lost its luster already. He scooted to the front of his chair and stood up. "You can use the larger chunks for target practice. I know you've been itching to try out the new forward weapons array."

Unable to keep the excitement from his voice, Chekov nearly shouted, "aye, Captain! Thank you, sir." His accent grew so thick as to be almost indecipherable. He began firing before he even finished speaking.

The ship shook as the Klingons returned fire.

It was an easy feat for Jim to maintain his balance. Heading for the turbolift, he waived off Yeoman Rand's curious expression. "Lieutenant, the ship is yours. See that she remains in once piece."

Just then, the Klingon war bird exploded.

"Da!" Chekov braced himself against his console as the ship rocked. "Will do, sir!" He didn't bother to turn around and salute, his attention focused on the debris field and his victory.

Shaking his head, Jim smiled at the young man's enthusiasm. There had been a time when he was just like him. That had been nearly a decade ago. A lot of things had changed since. By the time the doors had closed, he was no longer smiling.

~~~~~~~~

The white halls of the Enterprise were bright as always. A good whipping of the second shift maintenance crew had ensured that. Jim was pleased that he wouldn't have to order it done a second time. Having to repeat himself was a sign of weakness.

Not like it would have been the first time he was challenged.

Crew rotations had started to become a running gag among the senior staff. One popular post in the betting pool was that of first officer. Four in the last six months was a record in Imperial History. Five if you counted Spock.

Jim's thoughts turned from this to something less painful.

His first year anniversary of being captain was coming up soon. Just the thought of it alone made him feel old. The average span of a Captain's reign was just under five years. By the time they made it that far they were usually seasoned old men.

He was twenty-five. In another three months he would be twenty-six. And already he was a widower.

There was a celebration planned in the primary rec room in two days time. Bones was handling all the arrangements, which was just as well. Jim didn't feel like celebrating. He would much rather be planning out the next leg of their invasion.

Rounding the next junction, he came to the final bend before his quarters. His were the only one down this corridor and with good reason. The moment he passed over the threshold a forcefield activated. Its quiet hum filled the corridor.

At his hatch, he entered in his personal code and waited for the doors to open. They parted with a quiet hiss. Immediately he was overwhelmed by the heat and smell of burning candles.

Jim felt his body quickly relax. He was finally home.

~~~~~~~~~

The chime on his doors rang only once before they parted.

Pushing his way through them, Bones took in the state of disarray. There were blankets and pillows scattered across the room. It was obvious that someone had slept in every place, leaving them there the next day. He sighed and turned to the couch in the center of the room.

Opening one eye, Jim peered up at him. "The alarm has not gone off. You are early."

"I figured I would give you time to freshen up the place." Moving to the closest blanket and pillow, Bones began to pick them up. "At least you made it to the couch this time."

"There is a word for what you are doing." Blinking, Jim tried to get his eye to focus. It didn't work. "If I could recall it, I would bring you up on charges for it."

"And if a bullfrog had wings, it wouldn't bump its ass every time it jumped." Snatching up the last blanket, the doctor stomped over to the couch. He dropped the entire pile upon his friend's back. "Either get up, or bake in your own mess."

"I believe the correct term is stew in my own juices." The next moment he had to wince as his head was smacked by an over stuffed pillow. It stank from some perfume he couldn't remember buying.

"Jim, have you taken a good look at yourself lately?" Walking over to the food synthesizer, Bones grabbed a chip from the display. He quickly slipped it in the console and waited for it to make them a pot.

The smell of fresh coffee made Jim groan with relief. He sat up, and in the process, knocked most of the blankets to the floor. "As a matter of fact, I see myself in the mirror every morning."

"You do, do you?" Bones snorted. He carried the carafe and two mugs over to the coffee table. After filling both mugs, he grabbed one for himself and eased himself in to the only available chair. "Then care to explain to me how you can justify looking like a hobo, on duty no less?"

Jim's hand automatically went to his stubble. It was growing so thick by now that the lower half of his face was covered in blond hair. He grimaced at the sandpaper feeling against his palm.

"Yes, it's that bad." Closing his eyes, Bones took a sip. The other's smell might have had a little to do with that too.

Dropping his chin caused hair to fall over Jim's face. This tickled the skin along his chest. "What's the point of it?"

"You keep asking that," the other man snapped at him. Anger caused the skin around his eyes to wrinkle. "I'm sick of giving you plenty of god damned reasons to keep going and you ignoring every single one of them. Either pick one or throw yourself out the nearest airlock so I can get busy on the paperwork!"

"May be I should." Jim had to dash back as boiling hot coffee splashed over his bedding and the front of the couch. Heart pounding, he glared over the table at his friend. "What the fuck did you do that for?"

"A better question you should ask yourself is why did you flinch instead of letting it burn you?" Slamming his mug down on the table, Bones stood up. "If you don't straighten up your appearance and start paying attention to your crew, I am going to remove you from command."

Still pressed against the back cushions of his couch, Jim openly stared at his friend. "Yeah, well, if you do that, you'd better get used to calling Lieutenant Chekov sir!"

"What makes you think I'd let his tight, little ass touch that chair?" Pointing a finger, Bones began to shake it. His voice and accent deepened with his anger. "If I get one more complaint, Jim, just one!" Leaving the threat hanging in the air was sufficient. With a growl, he waved it off and stormed out.

Jim was too stunned to do much more than blink for a few seconds after that. Sighing, he pushed the soaked blankets off his legs. It looked like he was going to have to get up and do something today. As he was stretching his arms over his head something the doc had said struck him. "Tight, little ass?"

~~~~~~~~

Stepping off the turbolift, Jim tugged at the front of his freshly cleaned uniform. It smelled of some chemical softener that wasn't completely unpleasant. At least it felt nice to the touch. The ship's laundry had done a good job. He even no longer stunk of body oder despite his best efforts with a hand brush.

Reaching up, he rubbed at the red bumps on his cheeks. They still stung from the bite of the laser razors. He would have to ask Commander Scott to readjust them for the new contours of his face later on.

It was crossing to his chair that he realized people were actively watching him. More than one were staring openly. This made him sigh. "What's the matter, don't any of you have duties to attend?"

Their reaction was quick and almost uniform. All ten crewmembers got back to their stations immediately.

"Pay attention to your work, ladies and gentlemen, and take a little pride." A moment of levity made him smile. "These new territories won't conquer themselves."

He continued on around the arm rail and to the command deck. There, he eased himself down in to his chair with a contented sigh. It felt different today, some how. Jim definitely felt better about himself.

Leaning against the arm rest was a new experience. There was none of the usual hair falling in to his face. The golden clasp held it back just nicely. Smiling, he pressed the comm button.

"Sickbay, here."

"Yes, Dr. Barros, how are you this fine morning?" He snickered as he imagined the look on the woman's face.

"Everything is well, Captain." She sounded a little put out. "What can I do for you?"

"Oh, nothing much. It's just a small matter involving Dr. McCoy." Catching Lieutenant Chekov's spine stiffening in front of him, Jim could swear he felt his own eyes twinkle. "You know, I was in the shower, giving myself a full check up, and it suddenly occurred to me. When was the last time Dr. McCoy had a full checkup?"

"I see." Obviously Barros did not like what she was being enlightened to. "I will check it out."

"You do that. Thank you. Bye." He waved at the comm button before turning it off. Sitting back in his chair, Jim crossed his legs. "Lieutenant Chekov."

Back straight, Chekov visibly swallowed. "Yes, captain?"

Narrowing his eyes, Jim squashed his smile. "What's the ship's status this morning?" Because he already knew his own prognosis.

_____________________________  
Part 2. I'll Take Your Breath Away

 

A small rumble shook the ship, but it did not wake him. That happened a second later when the ship's comm chirped at him. Groaning, Jim raised his head from the couch cushions. His hair stuck to his face, glued their by dried up drool. It took him a second of blinking to realize what had awakened him.

Groaning, he reached out to the wall beside his couch. His slapping at the console there eventually landed on the control buttons. Activated, the comm snapped at him. "Kirk, go ahead."

"Captain, you are needed on the bridge." Lieutenant Commander Uhura sounded a little alarmed.

As well as she should have been.

Jim didn't care if she was the latest addition to his crew. There were certain orders that he expected to be followed implicitly! "What the hell is so damned important?"

"I can't explain it, sir." She actually sounded mystified. "You are going to have to see it for yourself."

Growling this time, Jim sat up. He pushed the hair from his face and rubbed at his eyes. "All right, I'm on my way!"

"Yes, sir." Her swallow came over the comm. "Please, hurry."

Raising his head, Jim turned to stare at the console. What the hell had Lieutenant Iceberg so god damned emotional? Pushing himself up off the couch, he figured there was only one way to find out.

~~~~~~~~

His hair was still wet from the quick rising. At least he smelled clean even if he didn't feel it. Yet, it was the best he could do in his rush. Jim was certain his uniform wasn't even completely done up. Whatever that had his crew spooked had better have been important.

It and they weren't going to like him very much if it was something stupid.

The groan of the lift's motors slowed then stopped as the car arrived. Its doors slid open with a ominous groan.

Kirk spared them only a passing frown as he stepped out on to the bridge. The yellow lights of the ships caution alert flashed from around the deck. He had time to notice all eyes were focused on the screen before the ship shook again. Balancing himself against a nearby station, he cleared his throat. "Lieutenant, report!"

Rising from the Captain's chair, Uhura saluted Kirk across her chest. "Captain!" She stepped back to give him room. "A spacial anomaly formed five hundred meters off the port nacel. It appeared with a gravitational wave, then began to expand. Every two minutes exactly, the anomaly expands with another shock wave."

"That's pretty damn precise reporting." He stared at her with undisguised appreciation.

The frosty look she sent back discouraged further comment. With that, she turned and headed up to her post.

Another shockwave shook the ship, dragging him back to the situation at hand. Jim dropped in to his chair. "What kinda readings are we getting off that thing?"

"I'm uncertain, captain." Chekov's frown caused his voice to become distorted. Pressing his eyes to the science viewer, he ratcheted up the controls. "It is unlike anything we have ever encountered."

Spinning his chair, Kirk found Chekov manning the science station. "What the hell are you doing at the science station? Where is Lieutenant Myers?"

"Lieutenant Myers is on his way, Captain." Not bothering to look up, Chekov pressed several buttons on his console to change the views. "I was...nearby and arrived quickly."

"Yeah, it's a good thing Bones' quarters are near a turbolift." Growling more to himself, Kirk spun his chair back to the front. He stood up and marched over to the conn. Taking the chair, he nodded at the Ensign manning the helm. "Can you get anything of use from that, Lieutenant?"

"I am picking up a distress signal!" Hand to her earpiece, Uhura worked at the communications controls. Her fingers deftly programmed a filter to clear things up. "It is coming from the anomaly."

"Wrong Lieutenant, but I'll take what I can get." Sighing, Jim entered his command code to activate the console. The display immediately sprang to life and system information was spit out over the readouts. "The gravity waves are doing a number on the engines the longer we sit here, Chekov. If we're going to get any more information, you better do it fast."

"Captain! Get us from here, now!" Chekov's cry of alarm ripped through the bridge a moment before the ship rocked violently.

Consoles across the bridge exploded. Glass and debris rained down over the deck and crew as the lights went out.

~~~~~~~~

Pain. Distant and throbbing, Jim could sense it there, but not feel it. He was certain he should have been feeling it.

Opening his eyes, all he could see was white. There were no shapes in the brilliance. All flare. It glowed like a pen light during a medical inspection.

Then he could see again.

Red lights flashed mutely in the distance. He saw a console sparking as power surges ripped through the relays. Melted plastics and twisted metal littered the deck in front of him.

The world was upside down. That was when Jim realized he was on his back. He couldn't hear anything, but he knew that the alarms had to be blaring. His mind chose that moment to reboot and he remembered what had happened.

Sound came back and brought with it a friend. Pain ripped through his entire body like fire. He screamed until his nerves regained control and he could tolerate it again.

Tears flooded his eyes as he rolled on to his side. He could feel the bite of glass in his side, but it didn't matter. Jim had to find a functioning console and get a readout on what had happened. As he curled up to put his hands and legs under him he saw movement across the bridge.

The crew were coming awake. Well, at least one was.

Uhura had already righted her chair and was at the engineering console. Blood flowed freely from a gassy above her left eyebrow, but she went to work undeterred. "I am rerouting power to functioning stations."

"Good work." Jim hissed as his palm came down on a shard of glass. "Can you access the sensors, find out what happened?"

"You can do it from the conn. There will be no more system fluctuations as power converters are back online." She wiped the blood from her face with the back of her hand. Her eyes never left the display. "Minimal damage to key systems, most of it seems to have been localized to the bridge." As she spoke, her voice took on a flat tone.

Narrowing his eyes as he resumed the conn, Kirk punched the controls to test them. Sure enough, they lit up after a few flickers. "Remind me to have a talk with Mr. Scott about installing flow regulators on the bridge."

"I will make a note of it, after I finish with him." Reaching up, she touched her finger tips to the now clotting wound. Seeing the thick blood made her eyes almost disappear in a scowl.

"All right, let's see what's out there." Jim quickly activated the ships sensors and ran a sweep. It beeped to indicate the scans had begun. "Mr. Chekov, have you made any progress on the anomaly?" When he received no response, he turned back to look.

The entire science station was covered in blood. Slumped over the viewer was the body of the Lieutenant. His arms hung loosely at his sides.

"Bones is not going to like this." Shrugging it off, Jim turned back to his console. Results began to compile on the display as the sensors scanned space around the ship. What he saw made him frown. "Uhura, can you access the science station's data?"

She looked over to the mess that had been her rival with a sneer. "I can try." Uhura dismissed it and pushed her chair over to the next console, activating it quickly. The display was cracked but that had little effect to the image. "There seems to be a large debris field surrounding us. It is hampering our sensors."

"Can you find the anomaly," he shouted at her? His patience was running thin. Things were falling apart left and right on his ship. This should not have been fucking happening!

"Yes." Her response was bit out through clenched teeth. "I have the anomaly located fifteen hundred kilometers to port." Bringing up the scan results, she sifted through the debris listings. "We are clear of the event horizon for now, but the anomaly is still expanding."

"Good, keep an eye on it." Frowning, he double checked the results. There had been no change in it from the last time he looked. "Now, tell me, are you picking up anything in grid fifteen by nineteen?"

"Searching." She quickly tapped the controls to bring up the results. What came up on the screen made her frown. "That cannot be right." Glaring at the display, she smacked it hard.

The screen winked out for a second then came back. On it, the image remained the same.

"Obviously our sensors are picking up an echo." She looked down at the buttons to see what she could do. "I warned you that the debris field was interfering with our scans."

While she did that, Kirk brought up the image on the mainviewer. Thankfully the screen wasn't too damaged and managed to bring it up, even if dark and blurry.

On the mainviewer the imaged blurred then refocused. Even in the static the shape could not be mistaken. Rotating slowly as it bounced off debris was a large, intact vessel. It was identical to their own.

Jim's gaze traced over her every curve. To his trained eye there were several minor differences. Yet, in spite of this, he knew that ship. It was his ship.

As she turned, the forward hull came in to view. The saucer section was lit up to display her name and service registry.

Seeing her identity made Jim's spine stiffen. "It can't be."

"That's Enterprise." Standing up, Uhura scanned the image of the ship with narrowed eyes. Her lips moved as she silently read the registry with disbelief. "This has to be a deception. The Alliance must be behind this."

Jim sat back with a snort. "May be." Crossing his arms, he clenched his jaw. "There's one way to find out."

______________________________  
Part 3. Through This Night I Wander.

 

Jim's phaser was out before the last tingle of the transporter had dissipated. He glanced about him and noted the rest of his team were in similar stances. A quick jerk of his braid sent pain through his body, raising his adrenalin levels. They were ready for whatever they would find here, wherever here was.

A brilliant white light shown from above. It illuminated white bulkheads that were line with black borders to prevent visual distortions. The amount of equipment around them gave a pretty good indication they had rematerialized in a storage room.

Rolling his eyes, Jim searched for a hatch. He found one a few feet away. Thankfully, someone had designed efficiently as the control panel was right next to it.

Jerking his head to Ensign Hendrie, he indicated the security officer should preceed him. He was the quickest shot in the whole crew. If there was something waiting out there to attack, it would be dead before it could squeeze the trigger.

Creeping up to it, Hendrie raised his phaser. He reached out and activated the door control. The moment the doors slid open, he rolled out with his weapon held high. Coming to his feet, he aimed in a wide sweep.

There came no response.

Sighing, Jim headed for the hatch. He gestured to the two men behind him to follow his lead. As he stepped in to the corridor, he looked about. The white walls gleamed in every direction. For a moment he thought they were back on the Enterprise.

Then someone came around the corner at the end of the corridor. His golden uniform top shimmered slightly in the light.

Taking aim, Hendrie fired his phaser.

The young man crumpled to the deck with a startled cry. He lay there unmoving.

Snapping his fingers, Jim signaled to the Lieutenant behind him. "Scan him." He glanced back the opposite direction to make sure no one was sneaking up from behind.

There was no one coming.

Jim didn't know whether to be relieved or highly suspicious. On his ship, the alarms would have gone off the moment someone tried to beam aboard. Weapons fire would have drawn forcefields. This ship had done neither.

Disgusted with the lack security, Jim dialed up the power settings on his weapon. They would still survive an encounter with his weapon, but they would regret it.

Sensor out, the Lieutenant ran it over the body of the unconscious crewman. He watched the readouts on his tricorder carefully. "He's human, my best analysis confirms it."

Then they weren't of the Alliance. This wasn't one of their more elaborate ruses.

"Wonderful." Phaser clutched close to his chest, Jim started off at a slight hunch. "Stay close. Stun anyone that moves." He paused for a second to consider the situation. Then he added, "kill anything that resists."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Taking the rungs two at a time, Jim shot up through the gangway. His weapon was out the moment he cleared the top. He needn't have bothered though. Strangely, like the past five decks, there was no one around.

He finished climbing up in to the corridor, sweeping up and down it with his weapon. Unlike the last deck, there were several lights out on this one. A hatch further down it hung partially open.

Behind him, the other three members of his team climbed up. They followed suit with their weapons.

The skin above Jim's left eye twitched. He was getting anxious the longer they went without encountering someone. "Derelict or battle damage?"

"Battle damage." Ensign Torsign indicated the another hatch further down the corridor. A thin plume of smoke slowly snaked out between the sealed doors. "From the looks of things, their power cells are drained and the ship has taken a hell of a beating."

Kirk narrowed his eyes. That meant they weren't getting through because of blind luck or stupidity. If the crew was busy fixing the ship, then the window of being undetected might soon close. They had to be fast.

"This is no longer an exploratory mission. From now on, we double time it." Moving down the corridor, Jim once again took the lead. There was now a destination in mind. Even if they were detected, they could still control the situation.

~~~~~~~~~~

Voices were speaking in anxious tones. There were about five distinct ones exchanging retorts.

From his position in the access tube, Jim couldn't understand a word they were saying. He glanced back at the rest of his team and held up five fingers. Then he started to count down. The hand on his weapon tensed as he reached two fingers.

Closing his fist, he slammed it down. He kicked open the grate from the lower wall panel. Rolling out, he heard the voices rise in alarm.

Good. They should have been fearful.

His first blast struck a woman in the chest. She went down with a cry of shock.

Three more beams shot out from the hatch.

Two more of the crew went down with cries of pain. None of them moved.

The remaining two tried to run and duck for cover. They barely made it three paces before crumpling to the deck.

His phaser warm in his hand, Jim smirked at the unconscious forms. This would never have happened on his ship. For starters, his people were always prepared. Like the crewman they had first taken out, none of these were armed. That was a mistake on their part. Not that he would complain.

These people were easy pickings. That made their conquest justified and eventual destruction a natural conclusion.

Rising to his feet, he signaled for Lieutenant Marsden to move forward and scan them. He began to look around the substation for an access terminal while Marsden got to work. It didn't take him long.

Jim marched over to the console and scanned the display with a sneer. They had left it running. On his ship, this would have earned someone fifty lashes. Fleeing your post without first securing access to it was against one of the cardinal rules. Death above dishonor!

Clenching his fist, he felt the warmth flood his veins. Pride. As always, just thinking the words made him feel it.

His free hand quickly flew over the controls. The systems were similar enough to his own that he had no trouble gaining access to their computers. He quickly brought up the ship's schematics and registry information.

"Sir, these five test positive too." Marsden slipped the sensor back in the tricorder head. Once he closed it up, he let it drop back to his side on the strap. "If the rest are like this, then we are definitely aboard an Imperial vessel."

"Federation." The word left a disgusting taste in Jim's mouth. "These people are part of a Federation of planets." Scanning the information he could bring up quickly without trying, he saw several similarities right away. "How sweet. Their mission statement is one of peaceful exploration."

Amused snickers came from around the room.

Jim quickly switched over to the personnel manifest. "Christopher Pike, Captain." Chuckling, he brought up a picture. The image was that of a man he barely recognized. There were none of the scars he remembered the man having when he had last seen him.

Before he could read the accompanying file, though, his eyes caught the next name on the list of crewmembers. Jim felt sucker punched. The air froze in his lungs as his heart began to pound. Swallowing, he exhaled slowly.

His fingers felt numb as they fumbled with the controls. Eventually, he managed to bring up a picture to accompany the personnel file. His breathing grew painful as he took in the visage of the ship's first officer. Without even realizing he brought up the internal sensor logs.

Eyes quickly seeking out the information he needed, he straightened up. His jaw clenched in determination. "Be ready, we're moving out in two. I just need to do something first." Reaching in to his back pocket, Jim pulled out his communicator.

The communicator beeped as it was activated.

"Enterprise, prepare to receive a datastream transfer." He never took his eyes off the screen once. Placing the device on the console, Jim synched the two. Once the connection was established, he watched the display for confirmation. He didn't have to wait long.

On the console's display, a status bar appeared. As it activated images began to rapidly flash behind it.

"That's it." Jim took a step back from the console. "Time to go."

"Aye, sir." Checking the charge on his phaser, Hendrie headed back for the access tube.

"Not that way!" No longer really seeing the ship around him, Jim turned for the doors. His steps were a distant thing in his mind. All his thoughts were centered upon his recent discovery. "We're going to take the bridge."

________________________________  
Part 4. From Across The Great Divide.

 

Examining his weapon made Jim sigh. The phaser's power pack was down to half charge. There had been way too many crewmen for his liking between him and his goal. He had been tempted on several occasions to use the kill setting, but that would have drained it even faster.

Hendrie was already on his second power back and had his backup phaser out too. The younger man twitched in anticipation.

They were all riding high on adrenalin. It wouldn't be long now.

"Remember, weapons on stun. If you harm them without my permission, I will make your death memorable!" He didn't have to turn around to see the team's response. Jim had trained them well.

His stomach clenched as the hum of the turbolift began to slow. The sensation of deceleration rocked him. Eventually it came to a full stop and the level indicator beeped twice. They had arrived. His back muscles tensed painfully in anticipation. Now was the time.

The doors slid apart with a soft hiss.

Phasers raised high, they burst out of the turbolift. Jim took the lead and aimed at the Captain's Chair. The rest spread out around him, their weapons trained on the crew.

"No body move!" Seeing movement at the Helm controls, Jim fired at the crewman.

The man crumpled over his console with a gasp.

"The next shot is death." He dialed up the power for emphasis. Jim quickly switched back to the Captain's Chair. Seeing who was sitting there gave him pause. His eyes widened a little before he got his reactions under control.

Spinning the chair slowly, Kirk faced his counter part. His eyes lingered on the phaser for a moment. When he saw his face staring back at him, he paled. "What the hell?"

"Captain Kirk." An absurd notion made the corner of Jim's mouth curl. "Did you kill him too?" His eyes trailed over the form of the sitting man. There were slight differences in their appearances, but noticeable to the trained eyes. What drew his attention the most was the short hair.

"Kill who?" Kirk sat back in his chair. He grimaced as he noticed the weapon never wavered in its aim.

"Pike." The stunned expression made Jim sigh. Obviously the other man had failed some how. "Pity. I get the feeling he's a real prick in this universe too." With that, he dismissed the man as inconsequential. Confronting his duplicate was not the reason he had come here.

A survey of the bridge's layout confirmed that it was an exact replica of his own. That meant his real target was in the back left corner. His eyes were immediately drawn to the proud figure standing at the science station. Impassive dark eyes met and held his own gaze.

Jim had to swallow to wet his dry mouth. His pulse felt weak, leaving him shaky. "Spock." In that moment everything else ceased to matter and he began walking over.

Spock watched Jim as he moved, but other wise made no sign of acknowledging him. His posture remained rigid the entire time.

Coming within two feet of the other man, Jim drew to a stop. He could not help but to stand there and stare. The measure of time seemed to slip away, not that it mattered. Before him was the real prize, the only prize.

Quirking his right eyebrow, Spock inclined his head the slightest bit. "You know me."

"Of you, sa-katelau, and more very soon." Calm flowed through Jim as he spoke. Raising a shaky hand, he reached out to run the pad of his thumb over Spock's cheek. The intense heat under his touch shot down his arm and through his entire body. Jim gasped and closed his eyes.

"Get your filthy hand off of him!" The indignant shriek came from behind them.

Eyes snapping open, Jim spun to glare over his shoulder. Who would dare interrupt this moment?

Standing there in a red uniform, Uhura looked close to murder. Her fists were clenched and only the threat of a phaser kept her at bay. That didn't look to be a deterrent for long, though.

Jim opened his mouth to order her death. He was stilled by a hand being placed over his own. That was when he felt it; a slight brush against the fringes of his mind. He grasped for it like a drowning man, but the presence was already gone.

Raising his chin slightly, Jim cast a look back at Spock from the corner of his eye. "Ensign, call for the ship." His voice was flat, emotionless. "Tell them we have what we came for."

Torsign flipped open his communicator.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Kirk's angry shout echoed across the bridge. He started to rise when a phaser was pointed directly at his face. He grimaced and sat back down.

Jim knew his aim was dead on without even looking. It came second nature to point and fire. Eventually he turned his attention back to his duplicate. The anger he saw directed at him made the man smile. He knew that frustration, was intimate with the many causes. "You and I are not so different, Captain. Given time and the opportunity, I have no doubt you would make the same choices."

When Jim took a quick breath, he nodded in the direction of the other. "But my need is far greater than yours." In a flash, the man twisted his hand within Spock's own. He placed his palm flat against the Vulcan's. When their fingers entwined, he pushed back mentally.

Spock gasped. He paled as Jim's mind touched his own.

"Commander!" Chekov's cry was cut short when a flash of red shot across the bridge. Groaning, he sagged in his chair.

Hendrie's grin was one of smug satisfaction as he redirected his weapon at another crewman.

"You son of a bitch!" Kirk's body straightened in his chair, but he remained sitting. His knuckles started to turn white where he clutched the arm rests. "You drop that weapon. Face me!"

Jim stared down upon the fallen ensign with dispassion. Calm held him, centering his mind and tempered his reactions. The urge to kill them for defying him was but a minor nuisance. "Ensign Torsign, where are we on getting off this ship?"

"They are standing by for your orders, sir." Torsign smiled at Uhura as he aimed his weapon directly at her forehead. "Whenever you're ready, we can take the prisoners with us."

"Tell them to lock on to us and Commander Spock. Leave the rest." Letting his gaze travel, Jim found that all eyes were upon him. He smiled. "On second thought, add Mr. Chekov. Just in case."

Face burning red, Kirk obviously had enough. Jumping from his seat, he made to rush for Jim's weapon. "I won't let you hurt any more of my crew!"

Instead of firing, Jim waited until the man was within reach. Then he swung the flat side of his weapon with all his might against the side of the other Kirk's head. That merely staggered the man, but a quick kick to the knee dropped him.

An arm around slipped around Jim's throat, preventing him from doing any further damage.

Jerking the invader against his body, Spock wrapped his other arm around the man's torso. He began to squeeze, applying enough pressure to make breathing difficult. "You will cease your attack this instant."

Jim responded by driving his elbow in to the Vulcan's ribs. He slammed the base of his fist in to the right side, under the ribs.

The resulting pain made Spock gasp. A second blow in the same place made his vision swim. This time he was staggered enough to loosen his hold. Sucking in a slow breath, he leaned harder against the human.

Now it was enough for Jim to break the hold by flexing his arms out. Even then, though, the Vulcan's strength was a felt. He grunted from the effort.

With nothing left to brace him, Spock fell back. His hands desperately sought out a hold to keep from dropping and grasped the first thing he could.

Jim cried out as his braid was latched on to. His back arched as he fought to maintain his balance. The pain was excruciating, but thankfully, didn't last long.

The woven knots quickly slipped from his hand. Spock quickly slammed back against the science station. The impact knocked the breath out of him and he quickly slid to the deck.

Staggered by the assault, Kirk stumbled forward a few steps before he got his feet under him. "You do not attack me!" Legs spread in a ready stance, Jim whirled on the fallen man, fists clenched. "You cannot win against me, Spock, I know all your weaknesses." Hair in his face, he had to knock them clear to see. By the time his eyes refocused, he noticed that Spock hadn't heard anything he had said.

Head lulling to the side, Spock's eyes fluttered for a moment, then closed. Green blood trickled from the right side of his mouth.

"No," he whispered. Heart clenching, Jim reached down and grabbed the Vulcan by the front of his uniform. With a loud snarl, he jerked the prone body off the deck and up. A quick bend of his upper torso, and he had Spock over one shoulder. While he settled the weight, Jim turned to his crewman. "Get us the hell off this ship!"

"Engage!" Torsign slapped his communicator shut.

A half a heartbeat later, golden light enveloped the four intruders and two crewmen.

"Spock," Uhura screamed as he disappeared before her eyes.

The last thing Jim saw before the energy beam swept him away were the hate-filled eyes of his fallen counterpart. Victory was Spock, and Spock was his!

______________________________  
Part 5. Would I Spend Forever Here?

 

His skin tingled as the brilliance of the transporter room appeared around him. The first person he saw was his first officer waiting for him. Annoyance warred with a little pride at her sense of duty. "Report, Commander."

Taking in the sight of the man and his burden, Uhura partially raised an eyebrow. "Your mission was a success." Her eyes quickly darted to the rest of the party and their human cargo, but returned to Kirk.

Jim shifted the dead weight of the Vulcan higher up his shoulder before stepping off the pad. "And then some." He patted the firm behind as he passed her. "I want a full summary of their archives within twenty-four hours and anything they have about what happened in one."

"Already done." She snapped her fingers at a crewman standing behind her.

The crewman promptly presented her with one of three padds he was holding.

Following Jim from the transporter room, she scanned the screen. "It is an anomaly in space and time, artificially created by a substance known as red matter." Her clipt tone resonated down the corridor ahead of them.

"Of course." The thought that those idiots would be behind this didn't surprise him one bit. "The question is, are we in their universe or ours?"

"Theirs, at the moment. I've had Ensign Cargille set course for the anomaly at full impulse." Pressing a button on the PADD, she scrolled down through the information. "Scans indicate the anomaly is closing and we have only a small window of opportunity to return. Our shields will have to be restored before we can head through, but Commander Scott said it would not be a problem."

Jim stopped mid-step. Looking at the black clad legs, his jaw tightened. "Good. Inform me when we are ready to go through." He then took up his course at a quicker pace. "Have Doctor McCoy meet me in my quarters."

"Very well, captain." After tapping on the padd, Uhura handed it back to the crewman. "And what of the new Lieutenant Chekov?"

That was such a stupid question, Jim waved her off. "He's a hostage, have him trained accordingly!"

Conversation over, she stopped tagging along. She glared at his back, but made no further comment.

It didn't matter, her opinion was of no importance to him. He had what he needed. Seeing to that need was now his top priority.

~~~~~~~~~~

Standing in the doorway of their bedroom was the hardest thing Jim had done in his life. To be idle while another did what should have been his job made him antsy. Granted, what he knew about Vulcan biology could fill a hat, but, still, it was his mate laying on their bed.

Sighing for the fifth time in two minutes, Bones pressed his lips together until they were but a thin line. The readouts on his medical tricorder had nothing to do with his consternation, though.

Jim shifted in his boots. His hands were at his sides, but they didn't stay there long. "Well, what is his diagnosis?"

"Cardio bruising, you dumbass!" Slapping the sensor back in the top of his tricorder, Bones snapped it shut. That done, he whirled on his friend with a raised finger to point at him. "What the hell were you thinking? Do you realize you could have ruptured a valve in his heart hitting him there?"

"I didn't hit him that hard." Jim tried for irritation, but only managed to make it sound defensive. His voice was barely above a grating whine. Guilt was a nasty thing. "Something must have happened to him before I found him."

"Yes, another asshole who decided that hitting him in the heart was a great way to say hello, no doubt!" With that, Bones snatched up his hypospray. He checked the dosage settings, then slapped in another tube. "This will help his natural regenerative capabilities, but you're not to do anything too stressful with him or to him for at least a week."

"A week?" Horrified, Jim's eyes nearly bugged out from their sockets. "Are you serious?"

Bones lowered the hypospray while he turned to glare at Jim. "Only if you don't mind killing your pet Vulcan with a heart attack."

Glowering, Jim's hands clenched in to fists. Back straight, he marched out of the bedroom before he did anything stupid. He had to think here.

A half second later, the hatch closed behind an exiting Bones. His features were pinched as if he had tasted something awful. One look at Jim and he shook his head.

Unable to stand the silence, Jim turned to face his friend. There were so many emotions warring for his attention. All he could do was continue stand there and stare the confusion was so strong.

For several moments they wait for the other to speak. After a time it appeared neither of them had any clue what was it the other wanted to say.

Sucking in a frustrated breath, Jim looked to the bedroom doors. They stood silent and unyielding in his search for answers. "What the hell is going on, Bones?"

"That's what I've been asking myself." Raising a hand to his face, Bones stroked his facial hair. "You just came back from a duplicate 'Enterprise' with a dead man. Until I saw him in there, I would've sworn the man telling me this was a complete lune." He shook his head with a blank stare. "Even now, I still can't believe what my brain is telling me."

"How do you think I feel?" Jim finished with a scoff and chuckle. A tiny smile formed on his lips. "It's him, Bones, I felt him." He put two fingers to his temple. "Here."

"Jesus, Jim." Closing his eyes, Bones breathed slowly. Moving on impulse, he reached out and placed a hand upon the other's shoulder. "What do you want me to do?"

"Make sure this one stays alive," Jim said with a hitch in his breathing. Even if it was his mate's heart that was bruise, his own ached. Placing a palm to his chest, he felt it pounding against his ribs. Until that moment he hadn't been aware it was even still beating.

They were both alive.

~~~~~~~~~

The ship's intercom whistled to indicate it was a ship-wide communique.

Eyelids popping open, Jim's head shot up. He immediately regretted falling asleep in the chair as his lower back spasmed. Wincing, he stretched forward and reached back to rub at it.

"All hands, this is Lieutenant Commander Uhura speaking." Her voice was filled with authority. There was no doubt she felt she should be making the announcement.

Ire flared behind his eyes as Kirk glared up at the speaker above him. "What the hell is that bitch up to now?" His charitable thoughts from earlier were all fled now in his post-slumber pain.

"We are about to enter the anomaly and return home. All non-essential personnel are to head to their quarters immediately. The passage will be difficult and stress factors may damage the ship. If we loose compression in exposed sections, the crew quarters are shielded and will protect you."

For a moment, Jim felt a moment of relief. Her commanding voice offered reassurance and knowledge of the situation. The relief was short lived as he realized what she was doing.

Growling, he reached over and slapped the comm button. "Bridge, this is Captain Kirk. Get me Lieutenant Uhura."

"Sir, I am sorry, but we are at red alert. All non-essential communications are prohibited." With that, the Ensign cut the channel.

Rage made the pain in Jim's back worse, the muscles clenching tighter. He was going to kill that fucking whore, both of them! The fact that the Ensign was right didn't register in his mind. All he knew was that his orders had been disobeyed and now he was being dismissed by a subordinate.

Gripping the arm rests of his chair, he dragged himself out of it and to his feet. He was a little shaky from the spasms, but he didn't let that stop him. Tugging on his uniform top, he headed for the door.

Heads were going to roll!

Alarms blared across the room as red lights embedded in the trim started flashing.

The next moment later, Jim was thrown from his feet to the deck. The ship shook violently as it impacted the anomaly. The world around him sheered and he saw reality distorted. Everything appeared to drag across an invisible barrier but remained where it had been.

Jim screaming as he felt his mind stretched from his body was the last thing he knew.

~~~~~~~~~

A dull ache throbbed behind his eyes. Jim tried to focus his mind but found he lacked even the most basic of control. Groaning, he rolled on to his side. Pain made him whimper. Where it came from was lost to him; everything hurt.

His mind shied away from it every time he tried to focus on what specifically hurt him. Everything was generally wrong. Curling his legs to his chest, Jim shivered uncontrollably.

What had happened?

The words formed in his mind but no answer came with them. He had a suspicion he knew, but that knowledge was too horrible for him to face. Anger at his own weakness forced him to try.

Opening his eyes, Jim forced his eyes to focus. He had to blink a few times to clear the spots. When he could see, he noticed the emergency lights were on. That meant the main power was out.

They had gone through the anomaly. Suddenly, the memory of what happened came flooding back to him. They were returning home. Correction, they were home now.

The pain made him feel exhausted. All he wanted to do was crawl in to bed and sleep it off. For that to happen, though, he had to get up. Jim didn't want to move.

Out of sheer force of will, he made his body roll on to his hands and knees. Standing up was completely out of the question at this point. Still, he made it up enough to crawl. So, he started towards the bedroom door.

The palms of his hands felt raw by the time he made it to the hatch. Thankfully, the doors parted for him without prompting and he crawled on through. The bed seemed so far away, but he made it eventually. Climbing up in to it was a different matter.

Placing his hands under the blankets, Jim slid his head and arms between them and the bed. He slithered up to the headboard until his entire body was in the blankets. Rolling over, he snuggled deep against his mate. The pain of waking was completely forgotten as he drifted off.

________________________________________  
Part 6. My Body Aches To Breathe Your Breath.

 

At first, Jim wasn't sure what woke him. His bladder protested a little, but he as good at ignoring it. That didn't feel right when he passed it through his brain either. No, there as something else, something that felt off.

The bed shifted again.

Eyes narrowing, Jim carefully raised his head to glare at the bastard that dared to awaken him. When he saw the back of a familiar head, he stopped. His breath caught in the back of his throat for a moment. Then he remembered.

Swallowing down the stupid fucking emotions, he sat up further. Jim braced himself on one arm to glare down at the unconscious form. "I know you are awake."

One eye opened to peer up at Jim. Spock tried to turn his head, but the chain around his neck made it uncomfortable. He had to slowly twist until the collar moved in to position. "You are more perceptive than I estimated."

"That's going to be happening a lot." Reaching up, Jim scratched at his chest as he yawned. He finished with a moan. "Wait here until I'm through in the head, then you can use it." With that, Jim turned and slid off the bed. He stumbled to the bathroom without a backwards glance.

~~~~~~~~~

Scrubbing at the back of his head with a towel, Jim walked out of the bathroom. Steam rolled out ahead of him. In the bright light from the bath, he could see that Spock was in the same position he had left him in. "You can get up now."

Eyes narrowed, Spock didn't bother to respond. The chains around his arms, legs, and neck kept him firmly placed to the bulkhead. He couldn't even turn over.

Seeing this as if for the first time, Jim quirked his lips. "Oh, sorry about that." Dropping his towel, he strolled towards the bed. He kept his pace deliberately slow to show off the nude expanse of his body. "Let me help you with those."

Spock watched his every move. His hands gripped the chains where they extended from his cuffs.

Jim stopped at the edge of the bed. He let eyes trail over the restrained man. They lingered over several choice locations, hungrily taking them in. "You are almost as beautiful as I remember."

Bending his head backwards, Spock stared upside down at Jim so he could see him. "Just so you know, I will kill you the first chance I get." He tugged ineffectually at his chains for emphasis.

This made a warm rush of pleasure flow through Jim. He moaned softly as he reached out a seeking hand. The fingers hovered over the Vulcan's cheek a moment before he placed them to key points. Jim closed his eyes the moment he felt contact in his mind.

Spock gasped. He twitched and tried to jerk away until the hand on his cheek pressed his face in to the pillow. Realizing this was going to happen, he turned his mind inwards and focused out through the contact.

The vast presence of an alien mind washed over Jim. It filled him and fought him, trying to desperately claim every bit of him. He let Spock search him, to seek out all the vast parts of him. This is what he had been waiting for and he seized upon it.

The moment Jim's mind enveloped his own, Spock seized at his bonds. His eyes opened wide like a panicked animals. Rolling violently, he tried to jerk away, both physically and mentally.

In response, Kirk grasped the other's face in both hands and held on tight. "Give it to me!" The muscles in his neck and jaw clenched so tight they began to spasm in pain. He gasped as he fought to maintain his hold on the flailing mind.

Spock's jerking hands caused the cuffs to bite in to his skin. Scrapes of flesh openly bled green. Still, this did not stop him. He swung out with his mind, desperately shredding at everything he could touch.

Crying out in pain relieved none of Jim's aches. His back arched, but he held on. He could not let go even if he wanted to.

Yet, the human's mind continued to wrap around him. Where the ends touched they laced together in a woven cage. Spock felt as if the walls were closing in on him. Panic set his heart to racing and his lungs labored to keep up.

Pain radiated out from their side. The heart, one damaged, was pounding too hard. It would exacerbate the already stressed walls of muscle at the current rate. They had to calm it.

With a single impulse, the muscle eased its contractions. The blood continued to flow through out the body, but that too calmed. Muscles in their body eased. A few continued to spasm, but they eventually relaxed.

They were whole. They were one. Finally.

Blinking, Jim stared down in to now calm eyes. He cocked his head slightly. Running a thumb up over Spock's lips, he smiled. "See now, that didn't hurt."

Almost numb, Spock stared back up at him. "What have you done?" Yet, the truth was obvious to them both. He could sense it.

Jim could sense that Spock knew. "You belong to me." 'We belong toge...' was all he could think before the knowledge was shut off from him. It simply ceased to be in his mind, as if a door had closed it off. He smirked. "Soon enough, beautiful." He patted the other's cheek.

"Release me." Glaring now, the Spock tried his restraints again.

"All right." Before his hands went to Spock's restraints, one went to the other's neck. There, he ran his fingers along the collar. "One thing you should know first. If I snap my fingers, this constricts. You kill me, it won't stop." He flicked the metal band. "Just thought you should know."

Taking a deep breath, Spock composed his features in to a neutral expression. "Very well, Captain," he spit the last word out like it tasted vile on his tongue.

"That's what I like to hear." Reaching over to the bulkhead, Jim placed his palm to it. Closing his eyes, he began to hum to himself. A second later, the chains detached from their moorings as the eyes retracted in to the wall. He held up his other hand, ready to snap. "Remember, Spock."

The Vulcan watched him through slitted eyes, but made no move.

Crawling backwards, Jim slipped off the bed. Once he had his feet under him, he started for the door. He kept glancing back as he went. The smirk never left his face. "You are the best piece of ass on this ship."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jim was riding high as he stepped on the turbolift. For the first time in months he felt himself. Everything was as it should be in his head. Now it was time to do the same for his ship.

The doors hissed shut and the control panel blinked at him in anticipation.

"Bridge." Crossing his arms, Jim felt the butt of his phaser with his left hand. It was solid, dependable. This weapon would never fail him so long as he took care of it.

Two beeps indicated his voice was identified and accepted. The turbolift started off with a mechanical whirr.

He almost felt like humming. His good mood was definitely a welcome change. This promised to be a wonderful day at this rate.

With a slight groan of deceleration, the turbolift came a stop. It beeped at him twice before the doors hissed open.

The moment they cleared, Jim had his phaser out and stepped on to the bridge. It felt heavy in his grip, but familiar. Heads turned to stare at him in surprise. He reveled in the thrill it sent up his spine.

Spinning in the Captain's Chair, Uhura turned to face him. Her impassive gaze took in his immaculate appearance with no reaction. Then it settled upon the weapon and her lips twitched. "I see you are feeling better, sir." She looked him up and down once more with a dismissive snort. "Having a new body slave must have done you wonders."

"Yeah, about that, I seem to recall having given you an order." He indicated she should rise with the phaser. "What happened to calling me when were ready to head back through the anomaly?" Jim kept his voice even to mask his anger.

"There wasn't time." She rose with all the grand regal of a queen. Her braid fell off her shoulder to hang behind her head. "You were otherwise occupied and the anomaly was closing fast."

Taking a step towards her, Jim held his phaser out. "I gave you a direct order, Lieutenant Commander. It was not up to your discretion to disobey!" For the first time he saw her carefully made up face start to crack.

Uhura's eyes narrowed in anger, but quickly reformed to serene. "It was my judgment call." Lowering her gaze, she focused on the deck. "An error, I see now."

"Damn right it was." With a quick flex of his fingers, he squeezed the trigger of his phaser. Red light flashed out from the barrel tip.

The moment it struck her, Uhura flew backwards in to the Captain's Chair. She slumped down instantly unconscious.

That taken care of, Jim looked around the bridge for anyone who might have objected. He found only bored expressions. Putting the weapon back in its holster, he stepped off the back platform and on to the command deck. He walked over to his chair and stopped.

Watching the rise and fall of his XO's chest, he snorted. With a quick nudge of his foot, he knocked her from the chair. "Have someone come and haul this trash to the brig. I'll decide her punishment later."

"Yes, sir." A brown haired security officer slapped an arm to his chest and bowed his head in salute. Then he quickly moved from the back platform to retrieve Uhura's prone form.

Turning around while the man and two others leapt in to action, Jim grasped the hand holds of his chair. Using them to brace himself, he spun and eased himself down in to it. A sense of power filled him the moment he touched down.

He was back.

____________________________________________________  
Part 7. Nothing Stands Between Us Here And I Won't Be Denied.

 

It was a haggard Bones that stepped out of the bedroom. The moment he saw Jim, the man frowned. "You're completely off your rocker, you know that."

Smiling, Jim uncrossed his arms. "I never claimed to be anything else." From his position near the door, he had been ready for anything.

"Even sedated, he's a menace!" A little paler than usual, Bones shook his head. He headed over to his case on the table to put his tricorder and hypospray back in it. "That pointy-earred pole cat is going to tear you apart. Mark my words, Jim! You'd be better to have someone else train him first before you tried anything."

"Thanks for the advice." The smile faded a little. That idea made him blister a little on the inside, but he held his tongue out of their friendship. "What did you give him?"

"Nothing that he didn't need." Closing his case, Bones waved off the other man's scrutiny. "He's making progress, but I still stick by my original diagnosis. You can't do anything too stressful with him just yet. Give him some time and a little TLC first." One look at his friend and he knew that his words had fallen on deaf ears.

The sour expression Jim leveled at his friend made his face hurt. "Like you plan on doing with your little Russian war bride?"

Bones paused for a second, then went back to making sure everything in his bag was in its place.

"I didn't think so." Jim started for the hatch, eager to begin.

"Take it slow," Bones called out. "You've got him, there's no need to rush."

That gave Jim pause. He stopped just outside the door sensor's range. "All right." Bones was right, as much as he hated to admit it. "For now." Then he started in to the room. The doors shut behind him with a quiet hiss.

"God help the green-blooded bastard and his lovesick moron with a hardon." Shaking his head, Bones headed for the main hatch.

~~~~~~~~~

Pulling the clip from the end of his braid, Jim ran his fingers through the knots and tangles. It quickly spread out around his head in a frizzy mane. Shaking his head, he released the last of it to fall loose. "Now, where were we?"

Staring up from his spot on the floor, Spock ignored the display. He kept his sights directly on the other's face. "I see little point to this. You are certainly aware that I will refuse to submit to your advances." The chains had been removed from his body, but the bands still remained in place.

Jim put his hands on hips. The curve of his lips shined where he had licked them. "Denial was never a good look on you." Reaching for the hem of his shirt, he tugged it over his head and dropped it to the deck. Exposed to the heat of their quarters, he shivered with pleasure.

Spock didn't have this luxury. He sat on the floor with the blanket pooled around his waist as his only covering.

Taking in the sight of his sitting mate, Jim let his eyes linger on the smooth lines of his pectorals. The skin was unblemished and just begged to be marked. His nipples in particular needed to be tugged and bit. Jim grunted as he felt himself begin to harden in his pants.

This did not go unnoticed by the Vulcan. His gaze landed on the bulging material and he raised an eyebrow.

"Impressive, I know." Starting towards the other man, Jim slid two fingers in the waist of his pants. Sliding them down exposed the silky material of his underwear where they stretched over his cock. Heat flushed him as he saw Spock lean back a little.

As Jim stepped out of the pants, he lowered his gaze from Spock's face to his body once more. The length of his torso was shaded with green. The Vulcan was flushed. His eyes went further still to the sheet. Sucking in a quick breath, he felt muscles in his stomach tighten.

Seeing where the other man was looking. Spock placed a possessive hand upon the material.

"Come on, you know that's not going to keep anything safe," Jim chuckled.

In response, Spock clenched the fabric in his fist. He sat up a little straighter. "Whatever your intentions, I will not allow you to molest my person."

Grabbing his underwear, Jim shoved them to his ankles. He quickly stepped out of them, then kicked them at the other man. "Molesting you is the least of my plans."

Almost as if he could not control himself, Spock's vision slowly trailed along the Human's body. His eyes stopped on the hard, jutting cock. It stood out far and proud. Cheeks darkening with a greenish tint, he forced his narrowed eyes back to other's face.

Too late, Jim had seen. He smirked as he cross the last bit of space between them. Now standing on the edge of the blanket, he slowly thrust his hips forwards. The head of his cock poked at he air in front of the Vulcan's face. "Lick me."

That made Spock's glare intensify until his eyes turned in to slits.

Sighing, Jim rolled his own towards the ceiling. Dropping down to one knee, his hand shot out to grab the sheet. Instead of yanking it like Spock thought he would, his hand went straight to the other's crotch. His stronger fingers gripped the full length of Spock's cock. To his pleasant surprise, the man was already fully erect.

Almost burning hot to the touch, he gripped the full length through the sheet. He heard the man gasp but ignored it. Jerking upwards, he slid his hand up the hard flesh, then down it again. At the base, he swirled his palm all the way around.

A fine shudder ran through the Vulcan. He brought his hands up to push at the Human's shoulders, but another pump of his cock froze them. They grabbed on to the man's shoulders and held tight.

Pain flared in his shoulder muscles, but Jim ignored them. This was far more important. He matched his breathing to the short pants of his mate. Sucking in a quick breath, he leaned forward to wrap his other arm around the man's torso. He pulled Spock up close against him until they were kneeling, bare chest to bare chest.

The hard line of Spock's muscles flexed against his own and he could feel the beat of Spock's heart through the contact. The hand wrapped around the Vulcan's cock was now trapped between them. That was the perfect position as he pushed his own along the other's hip.

The sheet still separated his hand from Spock. That was the only thing holding it up. He would have to fix that soon. Looking down, he saw a wet spot in the place where the dark green head was. The leaking precum made the white material almost translucent.

He moaned softly, a tremor of pleasure making his breath short. Turning his head, he nuzzled against Spock's cheek. "Wrap your hand around my dick."

Spock shook his head in two short jerks of denial. His breaths were coming in such shallow grasps as to make speaking near impossible.

Anger flared in Jim's head, but he quickly set it aside. Raising his head, he pressed his face against the side of the other's head. His mouth now hovered over the other's pointed ear. "Fine. This time will be just about you." With that, he pressed forward to grab the pointed tip in his mouth. He wrapped his lips over his teeth and bit down with just enough force to be painful.

A shudder wracked Spock's body. His spine stiffened just as quickly again when Jim's hand began to jerk his cock again.

With quick, ruthless strokes, Jim slid his hand up and down the the firm flesh. He matched their breathing once more. Refusing to let the Vulcan's ear go, he worried it gently.

Up and down, his hand went. At the end he gave a half twist, then back down the shaft. The sheet gave extra stimulation to his actions. Friction and body heat soon made the material extremely hot. It completely surrounded Spock's cock as he jerked it harder.

Tremors ran through the other man's body, but he remained silent. Jim could tell he was losing control though. This was all so very familiar to him. It wouldn't be long now.

Releasing the now bright green ear, he licked up the side of Spock's head. He easily avoided the carefully manicured hair cut to place a kiss in the center of the burning hot forehead. "Let go, Spock. Give yourself over to me." The head shook under his lips, intent on denying him even this.

By now, Spock was breathing through his nose. His jaw was clenched tightly shut. The hands on Jim's shoulders clenched even harder. The bruises would be deep in the tissue.

Jim didn't care. He was driving the Vulcan quickly over the cliff and in to his control. Strong, steady strokes soon earned him soft moans from those tightly pressed lips.

Suddenly, Spock's hips thrust forward against Jim's hand. This drove his cock hard against the Human's body. His ass flexed tight as he thrust once more. With a soft cry, he went stock still. Liquid heat spurted forth from his cock through the sheet as he came.

It coated Jim's hand as he twisted his palm around the head. The Vulcan shuddered in his arm, as another spurt covered his hand further. His hips thrust twice more in quick succession. More cum soaked the sheet. Gasping hard, Spock sagged against Jim.

Kissing the sweaty forehead, Jim couldn't hide his triumphant smile. He didn't want to. He pressed his lips twice more to the sodden flesh. Using the arm he had around Spock's chest, he pulled the exhausted man back enough to look at him.

Jim released the spent cock after a final tug of the tip. That done, he held up his hand, palm out, for Spock to see. A thick layer of white fluid coated every inch of it.

Weary eyes stared at it in exhausted resignation.

Bringing his hand close, he sniffed at it. Then, when he was certain the other man was looking, he licked a long swath across his palm. The tang of metal hit his taste buds and he quickly swallowed. Growling, he smirked.

Spock regarded him with hooded eyes. He said nothing.

That was just fine with him. Jim had done what he wanted and there hadn't been any resistance. This was a very good sign.

~~~~~~~~~~

Staring at his reflection in the mirror revealed hand shaped bruises on his shoulders and upper arms. Even with the weakness of being under a mild sedative, the Vulcan was a danger. A shiver of desire ran through Jim.

He had to bite his lip to keep from moaning as he shifted one arm. His own pain killer would be kicking in soon. The beauty of mating with a Vulcan was that he was prepared for a lot of pain. And damn if that idea didn't make him hornier.

Sighing, he tamped down on that urge. Now wasn't the time.

Warm rag in hand, he stepped out of the bathroom. It took only a moment to locate his mate on the bed. The man was curled up across it. He could tell from the steady rise and fall of his chest that Spock was asleep.

He stood there and watched for several moments. The sight needed no commentary. Everything he wanted was right there in front of him.

For the first time in six months, he felt truly content.

Shaking himself out of it, Jim started for the bed. The rag was already cooling as he stopped at the foot.

The blankets were pooled around Spock's waist. The chains around his wrists held him firmly to the far bulkhead. His bare hip remained exposed to the air, but he was unaffected.

A warm sensation of happiness made Jim smile. Putting his knees on the bed he crawled up to his mate's side. There, he reached out to run the rag over the exposed expanse of skin.

The first touch of the rag on Spock's body made him tense up. His eyes popped open and he started to turn over until the chains tugged at his bandaged wrists.

"Careful." Jim slid the rag down his lover's side and over his crotch. His circular motions were slow and deliberate, washing every space between the Vulcan's closed legs. His fingers massaged wherever they could reach. Done there, he pushed the rag out between Spock's legs and caught it between his thighs.

Spock remained still as the warm rag was washed over his bottom. The soft material was lovingly slid over his firm cheeks and he closed his eyes to block it out.

Sighing, Jim ran it up the small of Spock's back. "One day, you won't cringe at my touch." His fingers massaged the tense muscles he found there too. "In fact, you'll eagerly seek it out."

The other man remained silent.

Running the rag higher up to his shoulders, Jim continued his ministrations. "He learned too. It took some time, but I won you over before." He bent down to place a kiss to the space between Spock's shoulder blades. "I will do it again."

Sitting up, he pushed it around under Spock's arms to his chest. He moved slower this time. The water inside was cooling faster, but he did not stop. Jim didn't think he could even if he wanted to.

________________________________________________  
Epilogue. After I Wipe Away The Tears, Close Your Eyes.

 

The brig was a pretty unimpressive compartment. There were six cells along one wall, another six opposite, with a guard's station in the center. Basic gunmetal gray coated everything within sight. All very simple and depressing.

That was just the way Jim liked it.

Arms crossing over his chest, he stopped outside Uhura's cell. He took in the layout of her cell with a critical eye.

She had been busy, the mattress was untucked and checked over. Every square inch of the cell had been gone over. Even the pillow's seams were burst on one side. Sitting calmly in the center of the empty bed, she stared back at him.

"It's in the wall behind the light panel." He was all too happy to whisper the words in her general direction. "You wouldn't find it before the cell flooded with Nerozene."

"Pity." Her calm demeanor slipped in to a full blown sneer. "I should have slit your throat weeks ago."

Jim shrugged. She was right, not that it mattered much. "You didn't, I'm in command still. Guess we both lose."

That got him a bored expression in return. Reaching up, she pushed her braid behind her head, or what was left of it. Most of it had been cut off in the search for weapons. "Are you here to gloat or to whine at me?"

"Neither." It was a shock to him as well, but he honestly had a different reason for being here. He let this show on his face. "Your record makes dealing with you a difficult subject. Since you didn't directly commit treason, abandon your duties, or get the chance to violate your post, I can't kill you without repercussions."

"Well, that makes one of us." She smirked at him. Crossing her arms over her chest, she leaned back against the bulkhead. "You are a pathetic little boy. The attachment you have with that halfbreed is sickening and a weakness that a captain can't afford to have." Uhura raised an eyebrow to him in challenge.

He didn't rise to the bait. "That was true at one time, but I'm all better now." Licking his lips, he exhaled slowly. "As for sickening, one perversion or another, we all get our kicks somehow."

Sighing with an air of boredom, she rolled her eyes to the ceiling of her cell. "Just kill me and get it over with already."

Letting his arms drop to his sides, Jim smiled at her. He reached out to trail a finger over the edges of the forcefield. The tingle sent a thrill down his arm. "No, I think I like you better right where you are."

Her eyes popped open. "What?"

"For now, you're going to stay here." Pulling his finger back, he looked at it for any burn marks. "It makes me smile to see you inconvenienced."

"I guess this adds a petty, little bitch to your list of titles." With a growl, she picked up the pillow and threw it at the forcefield.

He snorted when it bounced off at head level. "This is going to be fun."

~~~~~~~~~

Carrying the tray in to the bedroom, Jim immediately sought out his mate. He sensed him before he saw him on the far side of the bed. The sight of the pale expanse of back made him sigh with pleasure.

Hearing him, Spock turned to glance over his shoulder. After seeing who it was, he went back to reading his book. The yellowed pages were stiff under his careful fingers.

Jim carried the tray over to the bed and set it down near the center. The hot food on the trays gave off a cloud of steam. "I brought your favorites, stuffed cabbage rolls and pork ribs."

Spock didn't even look up from his book. "I do not eat meat. Vulcans are vegetarians."

"May be where you came from." Taking a napkin from the tray, Jim shook it out. He placed it over his lap as he sat down next to Spock. "But, if you haven't noticed, you have a new home."

"That changes little." Turning the page, Spock continued to read.

Picking up a hot bun from the tray, Jim used a knife to smear butter over the top. The smell made his mouth water. Yet, this one was not for him. He twisted until he was facing the other. "Try this."

"I am not hungry." Spock had to jerk his head back when the roll was suddenly placed in his face. He glared at the Human over it.

"Open your mouth, now." Pushing it against Spock's lips, Jim rubbed the melting butter over them.

His tongue automatically darted out to remove the butter. Upon tasting it, Spock sucked in his lip to clear the rest. His stomach growled in response to the food. He tried to cover this up, but it was already too late.

Jim pushed more of the the roll against the man's lips. "Eat, now." He didn't stop until Spock opened his mouth and bit down hard on the roll. The sharp teeth missed his fingers by just a centimeter.

Chewing it slowly, Spock was careful to glare at the other man his displeasure.

Instead of dissuading Jim, this only made his smile wider. Wiggling his eyebrows, he offered the roll again. "I want to hear more about your people's quirks. What else don't they do?"

To put an end to the teasing, Spock snatched up the roll with his free hand. Swallowing thickly, he considered the question. When he spoke, it was as if from a far away place. "There are very few of them left." He turned away. "Shortly before you abducted me, I had witnessed the destruction of my homeworld."

The amusement slipped from Jim's face. Sighing, he focused on the tray. "What about your family?"

"Only my father survives." He started to take another bite of the roll when a hand touched his cheek. Looking up, he found Jim very near. Automatically he let the seeking presence outside his mind inside. It had been an instinctive reaction.

Sorrow flowed between them, joining together in mutual loss.

Closing his eyes, Spock allowed Jim's mind to wrap around his own. Their thoughts merged to become one.

"They are all alive here, Spock. So are you." Leaning in closer, Jim whispered against the other man's cheek. "This could be your home, if you let it."

The only noise in his sensitive ears was the sound of his own breathing.

 

THE END................................


End file.
